Tumuaki/Principal News

Come on Spring. Don’t be shy. It has been a, “Come here, Go away “ kind of introduction to warmer weather. It sure does lift your spirits to see the sun and enjoy longer hours of daylight.

Thank you to Friends and Whānau who organized the lunchtime disco and sausage sizzle. It was a very successful experiment. The young women from Middleton Grange joined in and danced with the children.

Last Friday the CSO was a wonderful experience for all of the children. We were the best behaved school by a country mile (along with one or two others.) For some children it was their first experience of a live concert. 

The death of Queen Elizabeth II was sad news for her family and for members of the Commonwealth who identify with her role as sovereign. She made her life matter and from all accounts it seems that she had genuine compassion and caring for people. 

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the folk who lost their lives on the boat at Kaikoura over the weekend. Aotearoa is a small country and we are likely to know of someone who has been affected by this tragedy.

Safety On Line

I did another webinar about Cyber safety with NZPF and Linewize and quite honestly I was very unsettled by the risk to which  our tamariki are being subjected.

Are you aware of the social media platforms and what they are being specifically used for ? The dream of being an influencer and making millions is being superseded by teen depression and anxiety as young people are pressured to perform and interest their peers. One of the panelists was an ex police officer in Australia and she shared some horror stories of what young children and young adults are getting mixed up in, in their quests for acceptance and popularity. 

Recently, a group of 10 year olds were using their school accounts in good ol’ Aotearoa, to Zoom friends and share inappropriate pictures of themselves from their bedrooms, right under their parents noses. The content was pornographic and the children were online in the early hours of a Sunday morning.

The internet, and especially social media, are DESIGNED TO BE ADDICTIVE. Children won’t get offline without a fight. Our children are at serious risk online and they need you to be vigilant and willing to step up. Are you ready to join the elite parents’ group called, “The Worst Parents In The World,” because you refuse to allow your children to be placed in harms’ way? When your child wails, “YOU DON'T TRUST ME!” you’ll know you are doing parenting right. Children cannot be trusted in an adult environment where the adults themselves behave appallingly. Children see role models of the grownups in their lives, who are online trolls and keyboard warriors and they repeat the patterns with their “friends.” Some of the social media sites have the capacity to exclude others and the “others” know that they are being excluded.  

One child harmed in an online environment is one child too many.

Children don’t realize that posts live forever and that a careless comment or photo will resurface years and years later and could cost them a job, relationship or life opportunities. There is technology available that can trace an individual, going back years,  no matter how many false profiles or IP addresses  have been created to try to hide their real identity. The police officer quoted a woman who made a racist post while waiting in an airport. By the time her plane landed the post had gone viral, and she had been fired from her job. A search for her today will still bring up that post, which has cost her dearly over many years.

There are dreadful misinformation and conspiracy sites readily available to children and they are very vulnerable to being persuaded.

Please monitor your child’s online activities and don’t be afraid to put on your big grownup pants and make a stand for the sake of your children.

If you have worries, please talk to us and we can work in partnership.

Concerns and complaints

If you have worries or concerns about your child, please contact the classroom teacher, before it becomes a big issue for you. Often it just takes a conversation to clear the air and get answers.

Check out the complaints policy on SchoolDocs.

Buddy Classes

We have had buddy classes working together and we have seen some lovely caring moments and shared activities come out of the times together. Many teachers will have shared this on SeeSaw. We often see the very best of our tamariki when they are caring for younger children.

Athletics Professional Learning

Sport Canterbury worked with our staff last week to teach some universal skills and games that support athletics. I was online for a training session and I kept getting distracted by the laughter and competitions.

Board Elections

As I write we are waiting to hear the results of the school board elections. We had such good candidates which is very reassuring for the future of our school. Congratulations to everyone who stood for the school board. Thank you to the board for all that they do on behalf of the school families. It is a big commitment, especially in times like Covid or earthquakes, but it is a fantastic opportunity to set the future direction of the school. Special thanks to Abbey Parsons who has steered this ship and kept us afloat during some crazy times.

TAKWSS Student Leaders

Visitors to our school comment on the reception they get from our school leaders and how capable and welcoming the children are. Leadership is difficult enough for adults so we are doubly proud of the children who carry the flag for us in our school.

It is two weeks away from the end of term and as always there are at least five weeks of work to cover. I am very proud of our staff who work tirelessly to bring the very best to the children in their care. We have had several other schools come through the school, in the learning day and they have made a point of commenting on the quality of the teaching and learning. 

Thank you for your partnership and volunteerism this term as we have navigated another tricky chapter in our history. One day Covid will be a nasty memory…

Stay well and take care of each other

Best regards

Marriene
Tumuaki

Enrolments for 2023

The end of the year is rapidly approaching and we are starting to plan for 2023. If anyone in your whānau or wider circle is planning to have an ākonga enrolled at Te Ara Koropiko in the future please get in touch. This data is extremely helpful during our planning process. All of our enrolment information is on our website including our out of zone process. 

If you have any questions regarding this please do not hesitate to contact the school office.

On Thursday 1 September 2 teams of 6 students represented Te Ara Koropiko at the Christchurch South Literacy Quiz. It was the first time in 3 years that it was able to be held at Somerfield School, however this year we could not have an audience. The teams had to read 12 books (both picture books and novels) and answer 10 questions on each book. The teams were The Book Worms; Mischa Jamieson (Y6) (captain), Ihaka Ti Poki (Y6), Elena Paulussen(Y5), Heet Gajjar (Y5), Ella Jiang (Y4) Alice Hunter (Y3) and The Speed Readers; Autumn Nicholl (Y6) (captain), Izzy Harrison (Y6), Ella Eadie-Lily (Y5), Greta Jamieson (Y5), Asher Tangiiti (Y4) Penny Reffould (Y3). 

There was good food and both teams one a spot prize each at the quiz. Some of the questions were interesting and quite hard. We would recommend competing in this quiz to other students in 2023. It was a really cool experience.
By Autumn and Mischa.

Malakai Christie received two awards over the weekend at his rugby prize giving, one trophy for scoring the most tries under 8 and below, a record he shares with his sister, scoring 425 points - 85 tries in one season. He was also awarded Player of the Year under 8 and below for being chosen as  the top player out of the 3 teams . 

Aleeyah Christie-Hilton also received two awards over the weekend, one for her amazing efforts in Netball, she received Player of the Year. She also received player of the year in Football. 

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